DC Meeting
by Mandarax
Summary: While waiting for Jack to show up, Sam bumps into someone from his past.
1. Sam

DC Meeting  
Mandarax

Rated K

Summary – While waiting for Jack to show up, Sam bumps into someone from his past.

Disclaimer – still don't own them.

Author's Note – I've been reading a bunch of "Sam/Jack meets someone from their past and show off." I had to write one. Same story, three POVs.

**

Chapter 1 - Sam's POV

I hate when he's late. I really do. He's made a reservation at a fancy-shmancy restaurant for lunch for us because we already had dinner plans. We decided to meet at the corner of 15th Street North and Pennsylvania Avenue, just a few feet away from the restaurant. But, he's late. I know it's most likely not his fault, he's coming from some important meeting with the joint chiefs, or senators, or congressmen, maybe even the President himself.

But he's late. I cross my arms in front of me and glance at my watch. Tapping my foot down on the concrete, I glance down Penn Ave again.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A voice behind me says. "Do you know how I can get to Potbelly's?"

I turn around to look at the woman, racking my head to remember where Potbelly's is. But no, no idea. "No, sorry," I answer.

I look at the woman again and she looks so familiar, it's like her name is on the tip of my tongue. And by the way she looks at me she recognizes me to.

"Captain Carter," the woman says, and the other shoe drops.

"It's Lt. Colonel these days," I correct her. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. O'Neill."

What are the chances that I would meet Jack's ex wife in the middle of DC, a few blocks away from the White House? We've both been living in Colorado Springs for the past few years, and I've only seen her once in person, a few months after SG-1 was created, and in a few pictures at Jack's place. The only one left these days is the one of the two of them and Charlie; the others were replaced by pictures of us. What were the chances I would bump into the other Mrs. O'Neill in DC of all places.

"Please, call me Sara," she says.

I try to smile, but this is so awkward. So uncomfortable. So unpleasant.

"So how have you been, Colonel?"

I hope the smile I give her doesn't appear as weak as I feel it does. "Pretty good, and you?"

She nods at me. "Ah, okay. I'm supposed to meet a friend for lunch but he's running late."

At least she's as uncomfortable as I am.

This time when I smile at her, it's real. "Actually, so's mine."

She's fidgeting, and I know she wants to ask about Jack but she doesn't know how to bring him up.

"So when did you transfer to DC?"

I shake my head. "Oh, I haven't. I'm still stationed in Colorado Springs; I just have a few meetings at the Pentagon."

She half smiles at me, "Oh."

I try to ease her into what she wants to know, just to get this conversation over with. To get her to walk away. "What about you? General O'Neill didn't tell me you moved to DC."

"Jack's made General?"

I assumed she'd known. "Yes, a couple of years ago."

"I - I didn't know. We don't talk much."

I always thought Jack still kept in touch with her. We never talk about it; there was never anything to talk about it. I'm not the jealous type, I don't care if he's talking to her or not.

"Oh."

If he'd been here, where the hell is he, he'd have said something like 'Awkward'.

But I can hear his footsteps behind me, and I let relief flood me.

"Sam! I'm sorry. The Big Honcho and his group of merry men wouldn't let m get away. They want to start using the S-"

I turn around to look at him, standing next to Sara so he can see I'm not exactly alone.

I almost laugh when he stops in mid-step. He's doing a pretty good impression of a fish.

I only bite my lower lip. I let her make the first move, and I can hear her inhale.

"Hi, Jack."

I smile at him and I hope he can read in my eyes that everything's alright and he can come closer. I can see him inhale, steeling himself for the conversation and then he moves closer.

"Sara," he says.

"Colonel Carter didn't say she was meeting you."

I meet his gaze and shrug.

"Who did she say she was meeting?" he asks.

Sara's looking between him and me; she's trying to figure out what's going on here. "A friend."

He leans in to kiss me, not exactly on the mouth, not exactly on my cheek, just the corner of my mouth. I smile at him when he pulls back. I can tell Sara's confused. She's lived military life long enough to know that if he's in DC and I'm in Colorado Springs we're not directly in the same chain of command. I can tell she's trying to figure out what we are now.

"It's nice to see you again, Jack," she tells him.

For some reason I have an urge to hold his hand.

"What'cha doing in DC? Come to pass a law? Create a new amendment?" Jack asks her, and I'm not sure if he's being sincere or just plain sarcastic.

"No, nothing like that. Just visiting Mike."

"The bill of rights is safe, then. How's your father? Mike?"

"Dad's good. Mike got married a couple of months ago."

I feel like I'm invading a personal conversation these two should be having without an audience.

He's laughing. "Again?"

She's just nodding, like this is a usual occurrence, her brother getting married.

"Is this one any better?" Jack asks her.

I don't have to actually listen to them, I can just look at him, in his crisp uniform and his hat, the shiny black shoes, he's taken the sun glasses off, and he's holding them in his hand. He's looking at me now and I can tell by his gaze that he's sorry, this isn't what he expected for our lunch break.

"Yes, she's actually a nice girl. A doctor."

His attention is back on Sara. "You always wanted a doctor in the family."

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, taking a step closer to Jack in the process. He's going to have a Doctor in his family pretty soon. Granted, not a people doctor, but a two PhDs in sciences doctor. Somehow that makes me feel better and I don't know why.

"I hope this one lasts longer," he tells her.

"Sara's brother changes wives like dirty socks."

He's talking to me; he's trying to include me in the conversation.

Not that I really care for her brother. "Oh."

I can tell Sara doesn't particularly like the way he's looking at me, like he's a piece of meat that belongs to her and I'm stealing. She's gesturing to his jacket. "How about you? Colonel Carter told me about your promotion. Congratulations."

"Thanks. It's a desk-job. You know how I am with those." He makes me smile, the way he casually disregards his new prestigious job.

"He gets bored easily," I tell her.

Jack's smiling at me, and he's pleased that he managed to steer the conversation back to familiar grounds.

"Yes, I remember," she says, kind of snappish.

"They try to keep me grounded by having President Heyes talk too much, but that doesn't help much," he says.

Her eyes are so wide, she's surprised. It's like all that time they were together she didn't know just how good a soldier and officer he really is. Like it surprises her he can get to such high places.

"President Heyes? You've met him?"

"Ah, yes, he's my CO these days."

God, I love seeing him blush.

"Oh, wow. I'm guessing you still can't talk about work?"

He's bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Still need to know. Now more than ever. Sorry."

He once told me things weren't great between them before Charlie, and now I know why. He was away for days and weeks at a time on some op, and when he came back he could never tell her anything about it. Nothing, except for Charlie. And once Charlie was gone…

"Actually, Sam," He calls my name and I look at him, "he's excited about dinner tonight."

He's showing me off! I can feel the blood rush to my face. "It's just a pizza over satellite readings, Sir."

And she turns to look at me, interested in what I have to say for the first time since he joined us. She even looks impressed. "You're having pizza in the oval office?"

I nod, "One of those meetings I was telling you about."

"Oh." Then, just as quickly as the attention was turned to me, it's back to him. "So you left Colorado Springs?"

"Yep. I got an apartment in Georgetown."

I glance down at my watch; we're 20 minutes late for our lunch reservations. There's no way we're going to make it in time for the 1400 hours meeting. "Sir."

"Mike lives in DC too now. You should give him a call."

Why would he want to talk to his ex-wife's brother?

Jack just shrugs. "Maybe." I know his 'maybes'. They generally mean no.

I have to remind him again. "Sir, we need to go."

"He's near Norfolk. I'll give you his phone number." She's actually looking for her mobile phone in her purse. She really doesn't know how to read him anymore. I wonder if she ever did.

"Sir."

Jack shakes his head; he really doesn't want the number. "I think I still have it."

"Oh. Okay." Sara gives up the search.

"Jack!"

They're both looking at me now, and I give Jack a pointed look again.

He's still looking at me. "Right, sorry, Sara. We need to go."

She's looking between us now and I can tell she's wondering what exactly is going on.

"I should probably go meet my… friend… too."

We both smile at her now.

"It was nice seeing you again," I tell her.

"Yes, you too, Colonel Carter, Jack." Sara says.

She turns around and walks away just as he pulls me into him arms. He kisses me, one of those has his apology for being late and all his excuses in them.

"Sorry about that," he says.

"S'okay," I tell him.

"I thought you said you weren't the jealous type," he's grinning at me.

"I never used to be," I tell him.

His hand slips into mine and he's leading us to the restaurant.

"Sweet."


	2. Sara

Chapter 2 - Sara's POV

I swear, I'm never going to figure this city out. I know I'm close, just a street or two away, but I can't seem to find my way to the restaurant he had us meet at. Finally I give up. I try to find someone who seems familiar with the area.

I can see a woman in Air Force uniform standing at a street corner. She looks flustered, waiting for someone. Well, that works for me.

"Excuse me, ma'am" I ask her, "Do you know how I can get to Potbelly's?"

She turns around, she's thinking for a moment. "No, sorry."

I realize I know this woman, even if I haven't seen her in many, many years. But I don't forget a face. Especially not the faces of my ex's team. Another bit, and her rank and name materialize themselves in my mind.

"Captain Carter."

"It's Lt. Colonel these days. It's nice to see you again, Mrs. O'Neill." So she does recognize me. I should have looked at her rank; obviously she won't still be a captain.

I don't want to tell her that I haven't been Mrs. O'Neill for nearly 10 years now. "Please, call me Sara. How have you been?"

She's quick to answer me, and I suspect it's because of the unease of these types of conversations. "Pretty good," she says, "and you?"

"Ah, okay. I'm supposed to meet a friend for lunch, but he's running late." I try to ease her awkwardness but it's hard, I'm just as uneasy as she is.

"Actually, so's mine," she tells me, and she's actually smiling this time.

I want to ask her about Jack. Even if they're not in the same team anymore, her being in DC and all that, she's still seen him more recently than me. But I'm not sure how to bring him up.

"So when did you transfer to DC?"

She's fidgeting in front of me, and I half expect her to tell me to mind my own business, but she answers anyway. "Oh, I haven't. I'm still stationed in Colorado Springs, I just have a few meetings at the Pentagon."

Interesting. "Oh."

"What about you? General O'Neill didn't tell me you moved to DC."

He's a general? He retired when he came back from wherever he was 10 years ago, and I knew he'd gone back into service, but general? "Jack's made General?" I ask her.

She gives me a weird look, "Yes, a couple of years ago," she says like I'm supposed to know that.

"I - I didn't know. We don't talk much." Jack. A general. Really.

She's half smiling, half looking over my shoulder at something behind me. "Oh."

I don't know what else to ask her, though she'd brought up the subject. I want to ask how he is, where he is, what he's been up to. But I'm saved the need to ask because I can hear him behind her. Which is strange – he's the friend she's waiting for?

"Sam! I'm sorry. The Big Honcho and his group of merry men wouldn't let m get away. They want to start using the S-"

She turns around, takes a step back to stand next to me and he shuts up. I don't know if he stops talking because whatever he was saying was need-to-know or just plain stupidity, but he stops talking, stops in his tracks as well. He's gaping at us.

"Hi, Jack," I say.

Colonel Carter, next to me, shifts slightly and Jack moves closer.

"Sara," he says. He always had a way with words…

"Colonel Carter didn't say she was meeting you," I tell him.

He looks at her for a brief moment, then back at me. "Who did she say she was meeting?"

"A friend," I tell him.

He smiles, that tiny little smile of his that's barely a lip movement but I can tell he's smiling. And then he leans towards her and plants a kiss on her lips. He kisses her. His subordinate. Just like that. And she just smiles at him.

"It's nice to see you again, Jack," I tell him. He's changed. Older, yes, definitely, but he seems happier. He still looks good, obviously the uniform plays a big part of that, but he also looks more content. It's like the self-deprecating, gruff, sarcastic man I knew is more subdued.

"What'cha doing in DC? Come to pass a law? Create a new amendment?"

Okay, so maybe the sarcasm isn't gone. It's just a little more subtle.

"No, nothing like that. Just visiting Mike," I tell him.

He's smiling at me now. "The bill of rights is safe, then. How's your father? Mike?"

For a moment I forget that the blonde Colonel is still standing next to me, she's so quiet. I glance at her for a moment but her eyes are on him. "Dad's good. Mike got married a couple of months ago," I say.

"Again?" he sounds surprised. I just nod. Mike's done that plenty of times before. "Is this one any better?" he asks.

"Yes, she's actually a nice girl," I answer. "A doctor."

Jack nods at me, "You always wanted a doctor in the family."

Colonel Carter shifts her weight next to me, and somehow ends a step closer to Jack. I wonder for a moment if this is a possessive gesture, but I let go of the thought. There's no way… "I hope this one last longer."

Jack looks at her now instead of me. "Sara's brother changes wives like dirty socks." I guess I understand his need to explain this little detail to her, though why should she care, I don't know.

"Oh."

She doesn't even try to sound interested. But that's fine. I wouldn't care about her brother. But Jack's smiling at her again, maybe even shakes his head for a moment, like he knows she's not interested.

I change the subject, try to include her. "How about you? Colonel Carter told me about your promotion. Congratulations." I want reach over to his uniform to poke the stars, but I think twice about it and pull my hand back.

"Thanks. It's a desk-job. You know how I am with those." Maybe they figured he was too old to actually do the ops, maybe now he just plans them.

"He gets bored easily," the woman next to me says and this time I feel a hint of possessiveness, like she knows him better than I do. Hell, she probably does. Probably always knew him better than me.

"Yes, I remember," I tell her. He was always bored. The only time he wasn't bored was when he played catch with Charlie. Or when he was away.

"They try to keep me grounded by having President Heyes talk too much, but that doesn't help much," he explains the new job, and I just stare at him.

"President Heyes? You've met him?" I never would have guessed that Jack O'Neill would do anything other than black ops. But work with the president, that's impressive.

"Ah, yes, he's my CO these days."

I smile. "Oh, wow. I'm guessing you still can't talk about work?"

"Still need to know. Now more than ever. Sorry," he shrugs his shoulders at me.

That's how it always was. He'd come home, he wouldn't be able to talk to me about anything he'd done the few days or even weeks he was gone, he'd get bored and leave on the first mission he could get his hands on.

"Actually, Sam," he tells her, "he's excited about dinner tonight."

It's very subtle but I know what he's doing. He's showing her off, taking the focus off him.

She's blushing now, her cheeks coloring bright red. "It's just a pizza over satellite readings, Sir."

"You're having pizza in the oval office?" I ask her. These two must be working on something pretty big, if they're meeting with the president.

"One of those meetings I was telling you about," she tells me and I know – that's as much information as she can give me.

"Oh." I look at my ex husband again. "So you left Colorado Springs?"

"Yep. I got an apartment in Georgetown." Pay must be good for an apartment in Georgetown…

"Sir." I hear her call him but I ignore.

"Mike lives in DC too now. You should give him a call," I tell him. He and Mike never did get along.

"Maybe." I know his maybe's. They're always 'when I get back from the mission, we'll go visit your brother, let me know if he gets a new wife while I'm away.' But I don't give up.

"Sir, we need to go."

She can be annoying, that Colonel Carter.

"He's near Norfolk. I'll give you his phone number." I start searching for my mobile phone in my purse.

"Sir."

"I think I still have it," he tells me and I know he's lying because he never saved any of my family's numbers in his phone. Too much of a risk, he kept telling me.

I've got the phone in my hand but I drop it. "Oh. Okay."

"Jack!" The Colonel calls his name and I look at her. Using a superior officer's given name? I'm no military but I know that that's strange.

But he's looking at her, like they're communicating wordlessly. "Right, sorry, Sara. We need to go." He hasn't taken his eyes off her.

"I should probably go meet my friend too," I tell them, and I know I should ask how to get to Potbelly's but it's been weird enough.

She smiles at me, "It was nice seeing you again."

"Yes, you too, Colonel Carter." I nod at her. "Jack." But he's not even looking at me.

I head down Penn Avenue, walk a few feet before turning back to catch a glimpse of them before they disappear. He pulls away from her embrace and slips his hand in hers as they walk away and I understand the possessiveness, and his reactions to her. And I know that he found everything he didn't have with me. I shake my head and turn back to Penn Avenue to go on looking for Potbelly's.


	3. Jack

Part 3 – Jack's POV

I'm late. Late late late late late. She's going to kick my ass. But it seriously wasn't my fault. The Joint Chiefs ran late, we started the meeting 20 minutes late, and I had to have a word with the Big Cahuna after the meeting about getting some time off to spend with Sam. Good thing he likes her, too.

The good thing about President Heyes is that he's an understanding funny little man. I told him that we needed some time alone before the wedding to go fishing, and he asked why he didn't get an invitation yet. I wonder if Sam'll mind having secret service guards at our wedding.

If she doesn't kill me for being 20 minutes late, that is.

I can see her up ahead now, her back is to me. Looks like she's talking to someone.

"Sam! I'm sorry. The Big Honcho and his group of merry men wouldn't let m get away. They want to start using the S-"

And then she turns around.

Oh shit.

Sara.

Ohh great. Just what I need now. My ex wife messing with my future wife's head. Great. Really.

"Hi, Jack."

Sam's smiling at me. Not that that's always a good thing, but she's smiling. I step closer to them.

"Sara."

"Colonel Carter didn't say she was meeting you." She says.

Sneaky little Sam. "Who did she say she was meeting?"

"A friend."

Friend. Yeahsureyoubetcha. I plant a kiss on Sam, just for effect. I love her for understanding why I needed to kiss her; she smiles that great little smile when I pull back.

I can tell Sara's surprised. We haven't spoken since… It's been at least 8 years, if not more.

"It's nice to see you again, Jack," she says.

"What'cha doing in DC? Come to pass a law? Create a new amendment?"

"No, nothing like that. Just visiting Mike."

Ahh, the prodigy brother. The lawyer that's still trying to get into politics.

"The bill of rights is safe, then. How's your father? Mike?" I ask her and I hope it's as sincere as I try to make it sound. Sam's looking bored, which is new to me. She's never bored. Or maybe she's just uncomfortable. I know I am.

"Dad's good. Mike got married a couple of months ago."

What a surprise. "Again?"

Sara only nods at me, like this was an obvious conclusion I should have come to.

"Is this one any better?" I ask her, because the last 3 were a bunch of the weirdest living creatures I'd ever met, and I've been around the galaxy a couple of times.

"Yes, she's actually a nice girl. A doctor."

"You always wanted a doctor in the family."

I'm going to have me a doctor pretty soon. A two PhDs doctor. Smartest woman on earth, doctor. I smile at Sam when she moves a little closer to me.

"I hope this one last longer," Sara says, and my attention drifts back to her.

"Sara's brother changes wives like dirty socks," I explain to Sam. One day I'll tell her more about him, Mike, the family's notorious womanizer.

I can tell Sam really doesn't care, all she says is "Oh."

Yeah. Got it.

"How about you? Colonel Carter told me about your promotion. Congratulations."

Sara nearly touches the stars on my jacket, and I can see Sam's tensing up. She told me she wasn't the jealous type…

"Thanks. It's a desk-job. You know how I am with those."

"He gets bored easily," I hear Sam say. I nearly shake my head at her, I like her like this. Possessive.

"Yes, I remember," Sara says and it isn't a fond memory, I can tell.

Gotta get off memory lane here.

"They try to keep me grounded by having President Heyes talk too much, but that doesn't help much," I tell Sara. Get off memory lane and show off a little.

"President Heyes? You've met him?" She's surprised.

She never did think I'd amount to anything. She always thought I'm going to be a field soldier forever. I always hated that I can't explain, can't tell her what I'm up to. What I'm up against.

"Ah, yes, he's my CO these days," I say instead.

"Oh, wow. I'm guessing you still can't talk about work?" this time she isn't surprised.

"Still need to know. Now more than ever. Sorry." Sam knows. That's good enough.

Oh, Sam! "Actually, Sam, he's excited about dinner tonight."

"It's just a pizza over satellite readings, Sir." I love the color in her cheeks when she blushes, it's adorable. And she'd kill me for thinking that she's adorable.

"You're having pizza in the oval office?"

I wonder if Sara figured out that Sam and I aren't really in the same chain of command anymore. I wonder if she figured out just what kind of 'friend' I am to Sam.

"One of those meetings I was telling you about," Sam says.

"Oh."

Guess she didn't tell her much more than that.

She looks at me. "So you left Colorado Springs?"

"Yep. I got an apartment in Georgetown." I don't need a house there now; when I come home I stay with Sam, anyway.

I hear Sam calling me. "Sir."

"Mike lives in DC too now. You should give him a call," Sara tells me.

Why would I want to talk to that slime ball?

"Maybe," I shrug. If she knows me half as well as she used to, she knows that's a no.

"Sir, we need to go."

"He's near Norfolk. I'll give you his phone number." Sara really doesn't get it, does she.

"Sir."

"I think I still have it," I tell her, which is a complete lie, I never kept any of the family's phone numbers. I have Mark's though.

"Oh. Okay." I win, she stands down.

"Jack!"

Sam gives me that 'we're gonna be late for that really important thing later' look. "Right, sorry, Sara. We need to go." I don't even look at Sara.

"I should probably go meet my… friend… too." She's lying but I don't care. Not my problem.

I smile instead.

"It was nice seeing you again," Sam says because I won't. I don't do nice.

"Yes, you too, Colonel Carter, Jack."

She walks away.

I grab Sam's arm and pull her to me, kissing her sweet lips just a little less tenderly than before

"Sorry about that," I apologize.

"S'okay," she's smiling at me so it must really be good.

"I thought you said you weren't the jealous type," I tell her.

Ohh I love when she bites her lip like that. She smiles at me. "I never used to be."

I take her hand in mine and we start walking towards the restaurant.

"Sweet," I say, squeezing her hand in mine.

When we'll sit down and order food, I'll tell her the President authorized a week off for me, and Hank's already signed her vacation papers, and we get to go fishing for a couple of days, just the two of us, me and the future Mrs. O'Neill.


End file.
